


That Was A Close One

by JMount74



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen, Hospitalization, Non-Consensual Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:03:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27539581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMount74/pseuds/JMount74
Summary: For Tsarinatorment’s Prompt: Scott + ‘I’m fine’ (promptly collapses)
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012941
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: Bad Things Happen





	1. I'm Fine, Virgil

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TsarinaTorment](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsarinaTorment/gifts).



Alan was uncomfortable. Really, really uncomfortable. And bored. Really, really, really bored. He wanted to fidget, to do something, but one glance from Scott had stilled him. No-one refused that glare.

He fingered his collar. Suits really were not his thing, and the shirt made him feel like he was being choked. Alan knew better than to complain though. He knew that Scott wasn’t that happy to have him here either.

It had been their dad’s idea. Now that Alan was eighteen, he had decided that it was time Alan and Gordon received the same grounding in Tracy Industries that Scott, John and Virgil had received before...before. But he hated it. He was a pilot, an astronaut, a speed junkie, not a stuffed shirt to sit behind a desk listening to people prattle on about, well, whatever they prattled on about. Of course, he wouldn’t say that within the hearing of his older brothers, especially Scott!

Gordon was over on the other side of the huge conference room. He looked so smart in his suit, acting with an ease Alan was frankly jealous of. Why was he the only one who was uncomfortable? Muttering to himself, he made his way over to see who Scott was talking to. 

Scott was not having a good time. He had not wanted to attend this conference in the first place, the three companies here other than TI were ones he had refused to deal with while in charge for one reason and another, but his father had said it would be a good practice place for the two youngest as there would be no pressure to agree to anything or to be on their very best behaviour in case they upset anyone. But all that meant was three very unhappy groups and him. 

One of the groups had a woman that simply would not leave him alone for long. Every time he turned around she seemed to be right there, and it was starting to unnerve him. He checked his watch. Another 15 minutes and Virgil would be picking them up, thank goodness. His two immediately younger brothers had laughed out loud when they found out what their dad had lumbered Scott with, and gleefully refused to help. Virgil had only relented to pick them up because Scott had flatly refused to not drink.

Talking about drink, he had time for one more. Scott had been conservative in his drinking, after all it was still a business meeting of sorts and he did not want to give a wrong impression, but there was no way he was letting Gordon fly them home. Not that he doubted Gordon’s ability, rather it was more about Gordon’s inability to not clown around.

One more Scotch, then. Signalling the waiter, he turned around and came face to face with her…what was her name again? He wanted to call her Atlanta – he was sure it was a city – no, Georgia, that was it. Taking his Scotch and what looked like a cranberry vodka, Georgia flashed what she probably thought was an alluring smile and carried the drinks over to a table. Scott rolled his eyes. No-one was getting lucky tonight. Still, he was a gentleman, and he followed her over to the table.

Alan took one look at what was happening with Scott and swivelled around, heading back to Gordon. Thank god that Virgil would be here soon. Neither of them wanted to see their eldest in the hands of that obvious gold digger. Joining Gordon by the exit, the two leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Virgil and watching Georgia flirt unsuccessfully with Scott, whose face might look interested and be smiling, but his brothers could tell he was merely being polite. She reached across, placing her hand over Scott’s drink and stopping it as he lifted it, and said something funny which Scott dutifully laughed at, before he glanced in their direction. They shrugged in unison.

Scott downed his drink as Virgil walked in and watched as he was immediately accosted by Gordon and Alan. They shot through the open door so quickly that Scott hadn’t even managed to stand up fully. Excusing himself and saying goodbye to Georgia, he walked over to Virgil without looking back. It was Virgil that registered the flash of annoyance that crossed her face, but it was gone almost as quickly.

Walking across the room, out of the building and into the car ready to take them to Two should have taken 7.45 minutes by Virgil’s calculations, with a further 9.27 minutes to reach Two and 3.81 minutes to take off. Gordon had snaffled the car keys off him the second he had entered so he assumed the squid would have started it already.

But something was a little off with his big brother. He had promised Dad not to drink too much as he had Gordon and Alan to watch, but as Scott made his way over Virgil was surprised to see a slight sway in his stride. By the time they had descended in the elevator Scott was blinking in the light and had kept one hand on the wall to steady himself. He didn’t seem to realise he was doing this, but Scott was definitely starting to look like he was drunk.

Taking a step outside, Scott’s knees momentarily buckled, and Virgil leaned over to steady him. Scott flashed him a smile. It was a little disjointed, his eyes, even in this light, seemed a bit over bright. Scott righted himself and stepped towards the car. 

‘Are you alright, Scott?’ Virgil asked, frowning deeply. Something was definitely off. Scott reached the open door of the car and turned around, hand on the frame.

‘I’m fine, Virgil. Last drink must have gone to my head a little.’ The frown lifted a little. He had seen Scott down a large amount quickly, desperate to get out of there.

It was like he was watching in slow motion. As Scott turned around to get into the car he promptly collapsed, seeming to lose all control of himself and suddenly becoming a heap on the floor.


	2. Defcon One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to worse

First responder came to the fore in all three brothers. Alan, being closest, had dived forward to try and prevent Scott’s head hitting the car frame as Virgil lunged to grab him too. Gordon was out of the driver’s seat like a shot. 

Within two minutes Scott was laid out on the floor, shirt open and EOS was running diagnostics with Virgil. There was something uniquely unnerving about how Scott was so still. Alarms were sounding and Alan was quietly panicking. Virgil was yelling at EOS and Gordon, and maybe him too – he couldn’t tell anymore. 

Then the dreaded words were spoken, and his older brothers went to Defcon One.

Scott wasn’t responding, wasn’t breathing. And Virgil was breathing for his big brother while Gordon was diving into the car for the med kit they carried as standard – because, you know, they’re Tracy’s and trouble with an identical capital T followed them everywhere – and Alan was sitting back, allowing the medic and his wingman the room to work.

None of them were surprised to hear an ambulance in the distance, EOS would have called it the minute something had gone wrong. And there were the paramedics taking over, wires being attached and suddenly Scott was being moved and Alan – Alan was still kneeling on the floor, his brand-new suit trousers ruined but unnoticed.

In an unusual move, it was Gordon who accompanied Scott in the ambulance. Virgil had taken one look at Alan and realised that he was also needed here. Something had gone terribly wrong tonight, and he intended to make sure whatever had happened was discovered and sorted out.

A heavy hand on Alan’s shoulder started him from his reverie. He looked up into concerned honey eyes and swallowed. Virgil was kneeling in front of him, radiating that concern like a fire radiates heat. He managed a small smile, and it was enough to get Virgil up and moving, holding out a hand to help Alan up too.

Virgil frowned as he looked at the decreasing ambulance. ‘Was Scott like this all evening?’ he asked. Alan shook his head. Scott had checked in with them numerous times throughout the evening and had been fine. ‘How much has Scott had to drink?’ He thought hard, mulling over the last three hours. ‘I only saw him drink two then that last one.’ 

Odd. Scott could easily hold his liquor, even if they didn’t drink regularly, and three Scotches, even if the last one looked to be a triple shot, should have been no cause for alarm. Then Virgil recalled the flash of anger on that woman’s face. What if – what if it was something more than alcohol in that last drink? He had told the paramedics timings. Last alcoholic drink was about 20 minutes ago – seven minutes to get to the car, and ten minutes from the time Scott collapsed until the paramedics had taken over, three minutes for them to prep Scott and get him into the ambulance.

John had called the police the same time EOS had rerouted the ambulance crew that had just finished restocking at the hospital closest to the conference room and dived into the elevator. He had left the comms on so that he, and everyone on base, could hear what was going on. By the time Scott was loaded into the ambulance Kayo was already half-way there and Grandma had prepped Tracy Two ready for launch as soon as John was down. Fifteen minutes is a long time when you can’t do anything but sit and listen and wait.

The police wanted to question Alan straight away, but Virgil wanted to get to the hospital. He outlined everything he had seen, and his suspicion that one of the drinks Scott had taken may have been spiked. At this news Alan added his own observation. ‘Just before you entered, she put her hand over Scott’s drink and stopped him from drinking it. I suppose it is feasible she spiked it then, it was the only time I saw her touch his glass other than when she carried it to the table.’ The policeman wasted no time and sent three people into the building, one to get the glass and two to get the girl.

All Virgil could think was ‘God, Scott, what has she done to you? What have you got yourself mixed up in now?’ Relaying the information to John that there was a strong indication of some kind of poison in Scott’s last drink, he gave the policeman the address of the hospital and steered Alan into the car. 

They made it there in less than eight minutes. It was almost a given that he would have gained speeding fines if he hadn’t had had a police escort. Not knowing the reasons why the eldest son of one of the richest men in the world had collapsed and potentially had been drugged meant they were not going to be left alone. That suited Virgil just fine – for now. He knew John may not be too happy at this, but they would sort that out later. 

Gordon was waiting for them outside. John had been his usual efficient multitasking self and they already had a private waiting room. They hadn’t let Gordon past reception, but that was no surprise, so he had come out to wait. Tracy Two would be here within the half hour, Kayo in five minutes. The hospital was about to find out what happened when the Tracy’s came to town en masse.

Virgil snagged Gordon around his shoulders with one arm and Alan with the other, a brief hug the order of the day. He was the oldest brother present, and they all needed the contact, the comfort that hug gave, before facing the wait. Gordon led the way, and soon he and Alan were deep in conversation as Virgil hunted up someone to find out what was going on. By the time he had been asked to return to the room and promised someone would come shortly, Kayo had turned up. 

Gordon and Alan went over the evening with them both and a policeman who had been instructed to stick to the family. When Alan mentioned about the woman stopping Scott drinking, Gordon mentioned seeing her around Scott almost all evening. He had thought it amusing at the time, their biggest brother did have a tendency to attract women, especially when he was in a suit. Kayo was given the name of the detective in charge and stalked out.

And they waited. Waited for the others to join them. Waited for news.


	3. Sex And Drugs, No Rock And Roll

They did not have to wait too much longer for the remaining family to be shown in. Dad immediately made a beeline for Gordon and Alan, while John headed towards Virgil and Grandma turned about with Brains and both went in search of the yet-to-show doctor.

Alan was relieved his dad was there. The last time Scott had been hospitalised Jeff had been in the Oort cloud. Alan had looked it up before they rescued him. NASA said it was about 2,000-100,000 astronomical units from the sun. That was up to 9.3 trillion miles away. Now, he was right here. And Alan couldn’t quite put into words the feelings that they weren’t going to go through this with Scott again without their dad.

By the time Grandma and Brains returned Gordon, Virgil and Alan had been there for almost two hours. It hadn’t felt that long. Last time it had taken around four and a half hours before they had been allowed to see Scott, but he had needed surgery. This time there was no surgery, and the doctor entered, talking with Sally in quiet tones.

Everyone looked up and the low-level chatter stopped. The doctor cleared his throat and introduced himself and Dr Griffin. Everyone listened intently as he explained the battery of tests they had run. Scott had been transferred to a private room and they would be allowed to see him, but he was currently still unconscious and was on a respirator. How long he would be unconscious for they did not know. Nor did they yet know what drug had been given him.

They just needed time and patience. Scott was stable, and as soon as the drug was identified an antidote could possibly be administered that would rouse him. Until then it was still a waiting game.

A game that the Tracy family was all too familiar with.

It was not a matter of pride that they already had a schedule for staying with Scott while he was unconscious. But this did allow for a seamless start for the family’s vigil. Dad and Grandma first, then Brains and Virgil, Gordon and Alan, and John last. John on his own (unless Kayo reappeared) because he had equipment to install.

Scott was pale. He was reclined so that his upper body was at about 45 degrees. The worst thing was always the breathing tube in his mouth with the blue tubing carrying up over his left shoulder into the unit built into the wall. His head was propped up with an extra pillow and he was wearing the obligatory hospital gown. Wired up to three machines, the room was a cacophony of beeps and alarms.

Virgil sighed. It may not have been the same as last time, but this was still his big brother, once again unconscious due to someone else’s hand. What was is about Scott that attracted women hell-bent on hurting him? He supposed it was the dimples. His brother could and had used those dimples ruthlessly, but from listening to Gordon and Alan, it seemed that Scott had not paid the woman any attention at all. Maybe that had been the problem.

Three hours, fifteen minutes and forty-one seconds. That’s how long it took to identify the drug. That had been a combination of blood and urine tests helped by the police arresting a woman at the conference who had introduced herself as Georgia and who had a large amount of liquid ketamine on her person.

Ketamine was a sedative that Virgil had used on numerous occasions, even on Scott, so he was unsure why there had been such a reaction. Dr Griffin explained that it was likely the dose given Scott was quite high, and the combining it with alcohol exacerbated the drugs affect. 

The doc went on to explain how lucky they had all been. Frequently, ketamine overdoses coupled with alcohol resulted in coma and death. It had been the prompt treatment along with Scott’s overall excellent health that had prevented that outcome. But he was not quite out of the woods yet. The fortunate thing about ketamine was that it had a short half-life, and he was already past that half-way marker. Unfortunately, no-one could predict when Scott would wake up.

He was starting to get the drug out of his system naturally, and they wouldn’t need a reversal agent. What they had suggested was to hook Scott up to a dialysis machine to assist his kidneys filtering and to prevent them from becoming damaged – a common side effect of this drug. Grandma readily agreed, and so the family decamped to find coffee and food.

It was back in the waiting room that Kayo found them, the remains of a hasty meal scattered about. She filled them in on what had happened on the police front.

The three policemen had managed to grab both the glass and the girl. Georgia Holt was by trade a hooker. And not a very smart one at that. She had been standing at the window watching the proceedings outside instead of making her getaway but thank goodness she had. Georgia was quite a chatty girl, and it transpired she had a nearby hotel room set up to do some rather intimate filming. For blackmail purposes.

Every single member of the room sported matching frowns. It certainly was not the first time they had been singled out for money-making schemes, but these usually involved kidnap and ransom, not sex and drugs.

There was more. Maybe Georgia was not such a dim girl after all, as she had kept evidence that she had been hired to perform said honeytrap by none other than one of the three other companies present at the conference. Turns out the executive from that company wasn’t very bright either. Instead of clamming up and demanding a lawyer, he immediately caved and admitted organising and paying for the venture. His boss wanted investment from TI and was not going to take no for an answer.

The detective in charge said it was the quickest case he had ever had. 

The bottle of ketamine in Georgia’s purse helped, and she freely admitted administering the drug to Scott’s drink. Only, she put in more than she had intended. It had meant to have made Scott seem tipsy, whereby she would whisk him off for a night of passion and a lifetime of regret. Virgil’s appearance had stopped that just as the drug started working. No wonder she had thrown him such an angry look.


	4. That  Was A Close One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott's coming around.

Scott started stirring after six hours and thirty-seven minutes. While he was still mostly unconscious they had removed the respirator and he was breathing strongly on his own. He didn’t open his eyes for another hour. All told, he had been unconscious for almost eight hours by the time he did.

And it was a circle of relieved faces he saw. He didn’t stay awake for long, and as soon as he was out of it again the family retreated so that tests could be run. 

By the time they had been there for ten hours Scott was mostly awake and demanding to go home. The doctors, and more importantly Grandma, refused. He had to stay for another ten hours to ensure no long-term damage had been done, although early signs were very positive in that regard. Scott grumbled and pouted.

Grandma sent everyone off to find a hotel and sleep while she and Jeff took first watch. Jeff had been appalled at what had happened, and he and Scott had spoken at length about this event and the one Jeff had missed while he was absent. His eldest had been through a lot. He promised to listen to Scott next time he said something was a bad idea. Scott had chuckled at that – even he could not have predicted this turn of events.

The next ten hours passed slowly but pleasantly. They divided the Scott Sitting into pairs and two-and-a-half hour slots. The doctors ran more bloods at the start of the ten hours and again five hours in, and they were very pleased with the results.

Dead on the ten-hour dot Scott was up and getting dressed, determined not to stay here a second longer than necessary. Virgil and John were on hand to help, not that he let them, and Grandma had gone to get the release papers. They all congregated back in Scott’s room, Scott now perched on the bed with Alan on one side and Gordon on the other.

Jeff watched with undisguised pride. His boys had been through so much and here they were, sitting around and laughing as if the last eighteen hours had not just happened. But it had been a close one. He sighed, causing Scott to glance over. Ah yes, once a smother-hen, always a smother-hen.

He stood up and announced that maybe it was time to leave. Alan, Gordon and Scott exchanged a glance, before Alan stood in front of his dad.

‘Dad, we love you and all that, but next time there’s a conference meeting we’d like to be excused.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to the previous time Scott was hospitalised in this chapter and the last chapter are from my work A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

**Author's Note:**

> Bad Things Happen Bingo: Attempted Rape  
> There are no graphic details at all, it is an implied possibility.


End file.
